Tick, Tick ... Boom!

 Jonathan Larson died suddenly the night that his magnum opus rock opera, Rent, debuted on Off-Broadway. Before that, he sang about his life in another Off-Broadway piece, Tick, Tick ... Boom! That piece was revived and revised on Broadway in 2001 and revised once again for this Netflix film by writer Steven Levenson and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the latter in his film directorial debut.

The film frames Larson's (Andrew Garfield) story within a performance of the musical itself. It's 1990, and Jon is on the verge of turning 30. He has spent eight years writing a sci-fi musical, Superbia, while waiting tables for the Moondance Diner. Fortunately, Superbia is about to have its first workshop performance. No less than Stephen Sondheim (Bradly Whitford) sees some potential in it. Still, he notes that it lacks an 11 O'clock number for its female lead.

His artistic lifestyle alienates his girlfriend, Susan (Alexandra Shipp). A few friends succumb to AIDS. And there's no guarantee that Superbia will get officially produced. He might have to follow his friend, Michael (Robin de Jesus), into advertising. His life is stuck and he literally hears it ticking away. 

Anyone with an existential crisis or about to have one will find themselves in Jon's shoes. Garfield portrays him as a likable man on the verge of getting older. I can relate to his anxieties about aging. Not just because I'm an aspiring creative person but because I'm a person. His fear of dying before his time is absolutely morbid in hindsight. The film is a strong case of how, as Sondheim put it, art isn't easy. Speaking of which, while Whitford plays Sondheim in person and does it well, the newly deceased man voices himself in a voicemail.

There's plenty of good supporting players. Shipp and de Jesus play the friends Jon needs. When Jon and Susan break up, set to a surprisingly entertaining number, we understand her frustrations with his obsessive lifestyle. Michael reminds Jon that he needs to take some responsibility in his life even if it is a lackluster job. Judith Light, as Jon's agent Rosa Stevens, reminds him of Sondheim's aforementioned point. Miranda also populates a few numbers with Broadway icons such as Joel Grey, Stephen Schwartz, Rent alumnus Daphne Rubin-Vega and himself.

 Miranda's technical team adds some style to Jon's existential crisis. Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum's editing is appropriately hectic. It frequently goes back and forth between Jon's daily life and him on stage. We see him go into a focus group with Michael, youthfully optimistic, and then it hits us with how dull it is. Jon and Michael going to the latter's new penthouse suite is set to an energetic number. Another number is a striking day dream which ends with the Moonshine opens up. That scene is where most of the cameos come in. Larson's score, which I don't think I've heard till now, is just as memorable as Rent's. You'll feel the pressure when you hear the ticking. The sound design is that great.

One can take solace that Rent became a success despite Larson's early death. While the film opens and closes with that point, Tick, Tick ... Boom! is a stylishly resonant portrayal of Jon's existential crisis. The 121 minutes easily tick away as Jon comes to terms with life. The ending private birthday party gives him and Susan a nice resolution. It's ready to stream on Netlfix whenever you are. You'll hear the boom once it's over.

Encanto

 Now that I've reviewed one Lin-Manuel Miranda animated musical, it's time to review the other. This is Disney's 60th animated movie, Encanto.

The Family Madrigal lives in the community of Encanto in the Colombian mountains. Their Abuela, Alma (María Cecilia Botero), created the Encanto with a magic candle that also created a living Casita. The candle also gives the Madrigals superpowers (strength, growing flowers, heals with meals, etc), as well as a magical matching bedroom. But not Alma's youngest granddaughter, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), for some reason.

One night, Mirabel starts seeing the Casita crack apart. The never-extinguishable magic candle is slowly extinguishing. Even her relatives' abilities start to falter. No one but her recognizes that something is seriously wrong. She decides to get to the bottom of this by investigating her reclusive prophesizing uncle Bruno's room. She finds herself at the center of Bruno's (John Leguizamo) prophesies. Then she finds the man himself...

Miranda and directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush are among the six names responsible for the screen story. Bush and Charise Castro Smith wrote the actual screenplay. It formally starts with Mirabel giving a quick rundown of The Family Madrigal (twice, even!). Mirabel's quest lets the plot slowly showcase her extended family members. It's a slow plot livened by the looming threat of Casita cracking. The story doesn't bother explaining why Mirabel doesn't have a super power. It's as if it's saying "does she need one?" It doesn't spell out why the Casita's falling apart, though by the time Mirabel and Alma have a third-act fight, you'll get it.

I'll take my time to rundown on (some of) The Family Madrigal. Mirabel is funny and nice, which makes her a good protagonist. One of her best scenes is when she talks it out with her oldest sister, Isabela (Diane Guerrero), the aforementioned flower grower, which helps the latter cut loose and be happy. Luisa (Jessica Darrow), Mirabel's super strong older sister, expresses her Surface Pressure in the catchy same-titled song. Bruno is the family pariah, with a surprisingly entertaining song to spell that out, but he's anything but creepy when we meet him. Aunt Pepa (Carolina Gaitán), who changes the weather with her mood, is a nervous wreck, which isn't completely played for laughs. Finally, Alma, despite her "perfect" standards for her family, is a warm presence here. Her worst side comes in the third-act fight.

What can I say about Miranda's music? It's another good soundtrack. The Family Madrigal's double exposition is played for laughs, while the slow Dos Orugitas underscores a sad flashback. They all serve their purpose pretty well, as does Germaine Franco's instrumental score. The visuals they accompany include the splendid Casita, the surrounding village and the splendorous magical bedrooms. The character designers get points for designing people of every shape and color. Overall, it's another great film to look and listen to.

I didn't find Encanto as emotional as Coco or Vivo. But it's still a good movie about family togetherness. Its slow and steady story helps its Aesop develop naturally instead of bluntly. That's a great feat of storytelling many family films should copy. Its most emotional part is its opening short, Far from the Tree, a multigenerational story of a racoon and cub. It's a strong cartoon for parents and kids alike and a great lead-in for 99 minutes of a unique family story.

Vivo

 When I highlighted Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical year, I didn't take Vivo into account. This Sony Animated Film debuted on Netflix a few months ago. So, while I saw Encanto yesterday and was going to write on that, it didn't feel right without seeing Vivo first. Now I did. And you should to.

Miranda, in addition to the song-writing, is Vivo the kinkajou. He and his owner, Andres Hernandez (Juan de Marcos) are street performers in Havana. One day, a letter comes from his old bandmate, Marta Sandoval (Gloria Estefan), asking him to come to her last show in Miami. But Death takes Andres in his sleep that night. Among the old man's belongings is a love song to Marta. Vivo decides to take the song to Marta himself. But how will he get to Miami?

Enter Andres's grandniece Gabi (Ynairaly Simo) and her mom, Rosa (Zoe Saldana). They come to Havana for his funeral; Vivo smuggles himself on the flight home. Gabi is happy to have the honey bear in her life. She agrees to help him get to Miami to deliver the song. What follows is a crazy adventure dealing with the Everglades, transportation issues, a giant snake named Lutador (Michael Rooker), and the Girl Scouts Sand Dollar Troop that Rosa wants Gabi to be in. It's quite a lot for a 97-minute movie.

Quiara Alegría Hudes co-wrote the film with director Kirk DeMicco. It doesn't take long for Andres to die but the opening establishes his and Vivo's relationship pretty well. It's quite tough when he does kick the bucket. Add Gabi's dad's (Andres's nephew) death in the backstory and we've got a surprisingly emotional film. It sometimes throws silliness at us to end such emotional moments. You will feel the mood whiplash.

But you'll also like the characters. Vivo and Gabi make for a great duo, even if she can't understand him. Their best moment is when they realized they've preserved the song after its sheet music is destroyed in the swamp. Andres and Marta make the most of their limited screentime. Their past and present feelings are easily understandable. The Sand Dollars are an entertaining trio of antagonists who eventually befriend our heroes. Lutador only appears in two scenes but is still a creepy villain. Dancarino and Valentina (Brian Tyree Henry and Nicole Byer), a pair of spoonbills Vivo matchmakes, are surprisingly helpful characters.

There's plenty to like about the music. Vivo and Andres' relationship is established in the opening One of a Kind, an entertaining rapid rapping number. Gabi's My Own Drum is appropriate for her untrained musicality. Inside Your Heart, the central song, is the most resonant of its emotional numbers. Alex Lacamoire's score stands proudly on its own besides the memorable musical numbers.

There's also much to like about the visuals. It's primarily CGI, but a few musical numbers include some dazzling 2D animation. The Neon colors help these moments stand out. The animated characters are superb in either format. Its animated renditions of Havana, the Everglades and Miami are impressive CGI locales. 

Vivo is not merely some generic kids movie. Its love story subplot gives it plenty of resonance. The moods often clash, but its quirky characters help make it a great home matinee. Never heard of a kinkajou? This movie will give you plenty of education. So chill with Vivo if you've got Netflix. As for me, I'll get to reviewing Encanto next.

 For real this time.

Belfast

I've never seen John Boorman's Hope and Glory, his autobiographical film about his growing up at the dawn of World War II. I saw its poster once around 1994, but that's it. But seeing posters for Kenneth Branagh's similarly autobiographical Belfast is enough to remind me of the earlier film. A few other critics have already made the Hope and Glory connection; wonder if you'll make it.

Branagh represents himself with Buddy (Jude Hill), a Protestant lad growing up in Belfast, Ireland. His carefree life is disturbed on August 15th, 1969, when Protestant rioters attack his Catholic neighbors. This formally begins the decades-long Troubles. A few Protestant jerks, Billy Clanton (Colin Morgan) and McLaury (Conor MacNeil), want Buddy's Pa (Jamie Dornan) to join them. Pa doesn't want to, despite their threats, and considers uprooting the family to England.

Meanwhile, Buddy tries to live his life. His Pop (Ciaran Hinds) and Granny (Judi Dench) give him valuable life advice. His Ma (Caitriona Balfe) tries to keep up with Pa's debts. He pines for Catholic classmate, Catherine (Olive Tennant), his partner for an upcoming class assignment about the moon landing. He goes to the movies, which fill his life, and this black-and-white movie, with color. His cousin, Moira (Lara McDonnell), teaches him mischief. But that life won't last forever.

There's much to talk about with Haris Zambarloukos's cinematography. We see the camera circle around Buddy when rioters surround him. We see Pa stand tall when Clanton and McLaury first meet him. We see an intimidating hellfire sermon from a minister (Turlough Convery). Its black-and-white imagery has a major advantage; its full color movies dazzle us as much as they do Buddy. The effect must be seen to be believed.

The soundtrack is populated by Van Morrison songs, including a new one for the end credits. They're a good soundtrack for an easygoing life like Buddy's. Do Not Forsake Me, from High Noon, is Pa's soundtrack here. His final confrontation with the thugs is likened to Will Kane's battle with Frank Miller. This is after we see Buddy watch it on TV. It's an appropriate song choice.

How about the characters? Buddy is a likable kid even when Moira leads him astray. His relationship with Catherine is endearing. Ma's determination reaches a new height of audacity when she drags Buddy and Moira to a supermarket, in the middle of a riot, so he can return some laundry detergent he swiped. Pa proves himself a good man when he deals with the thugs, who are perfectly loathsome villains. Pop and Granny, meanwhile, get the best lines and are the warmest presences here.

Belfast runs a slow and steady story over a quick and easy 97 minutes. It's worth it thanks to its great ensemble, strong lead performance and unique technical style. I don't know if it's the Best Picture of the Year, but it's probably one of the best in my year. Its historical story certainly inspired me to read more on The Troubles. Will it have the same effect on you? Just see it and find out.

King Richard

 Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of Bel Air ...

And that's the extent of my Shakespeare jokes here. So, let's talk about the highly anticipated biopic King Richard, scripted by Zach Baylin and realized by director Reinaldo Marcus Green. 

The King is Richard Williams (Will Smith), who raises his five daughters in Compton with his wife, Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis). His youngest daughters are Venus (Sanjyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), who he plans to make tennis pros. His training regimen concerns a busy bee neighbor. But he presses on. 

Richard hires Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) to coach Venus; Brandy secretly trains Serena. Eventually, both sisters get Rick Macci (Jon Berenthal) to coach them. Richard's overparenting doesn't endear him to potential sponsors. His strict regiments nearly threaten his familial relationships. He learns the humility he always preaches when Venus goes up against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.

Let's talk about the King himself. Smith as Richard is front and center in this court. He's got good motives for his regimented training schedule. We often hear of his ego running wild on the court, though it's barely glimpsed here. What we do see of his ego is plenty. He threatens to desert the girls downtown when he doesn't see them humble enough. He micromanages Serena and Venus's first lesson with Macci. He argues with professionals when they won't let them skip to pro. Still, he deals with gang members coming onto his daughter, Tunde. One of his best moments is when he congratulates Venus for her good game against Vicario.

The King's court is made of plenty of excellent players. Ellis as Brandy is a formidable match with her on-screen husband, especially when she calls him out for his behavior. Sidney and Singleton are excellent as the future tennis pros. Berenthal as Macci is a great professional voice of reason for Richard. The gang members, whose names are in the credits somewhere, are a contemptable bunch. It's somewhat surprising when they pull an about face.

Editor Pamela Martin is the technical MVP here. There's plenty of exciting montages and tennis matches over 145 minutes. A few highlights include Venus defeating a row of sore losers at a club, Richard and Brandy training their girls separately, and the final tennis match. One formidable scene is when Richard contemplates dealing with the gang leader, only for rivals to get there first. Kris Bowers sets these moments and others to a stirring score.

I don't watch tennis often, if at all, but King Richard's court is a good one. It's got a strong title character and formidable supporting players. Its story makes for a captivating, if somewhat long, biopic. This is another excellent choice to watch next Father's Day. But do you know what's great about it being on HBO Max? You can watch it again immediately. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

The 2016 Ghostbusters scared away a lot of potential viewers. It did somethings right and a few things less, but it's nothing to start World War III over. It was fine. We now have the Ghostbusters III after previous Ghostbusters IIIs were stuck in development. This is Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and this is more than fine.

Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) are forced to move to their late grandfather's farm in Summerville, Oklahoma, with their mom, Callie (Carrie Coon). Trevor finds work at a diner with Lucky (Celeste O'Connor). Meanwhile, Phoebe goes to summer school with a kid calling himself Podcast (Logan Kim). Their teacher, Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), starts dating Callie. Phoebe and Trevor find a few things around the farm that prove their grandfather was more than a mere "dirt farmer."

Their grandfather is original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), who moved there to prevent the second coming of their nemesis, Gozer. Summerville was even founded by Gozer's number one human fan, Ivo Shandor. Egon's provisions might not hold the Gozerian back forever. So, Phoebe, Trevor, Podcast and Lucky have to form a new team of Ghostbusters to vanquish the evil one.

Original series director Ivan Reitman gives the director chair to his son, Jason (who cameoed in Ghostbusters II as a rude kid). Jason and Gil Kenan's screenplay has a few references to the original films, yes. But it also has a strong story for Phoebe; initially as emotionally repressed as Egon, she learns to show emotions over time. The police chief insulting Egon's memory drives her to go for a proton pack. She even takes on Gozer directly in the climax; the first time with a really tense round of lame jokes. What's to hate?

Phoebe's fellow mortals are a great bunch. Fellow Ghostbusters Trevor, Lucky and Podcast are a likable crew and there's great chemistry between them all. Rudd as Grooberson is a likably eccentric teacher whose viewing material isn't kid friendly but still foreshadowing. Coon as Callie has plenty of pent-up resentment towards Egon, which leads to a strong scene when she discovers he really did care. Let's not forget the surviving Ghostbusters, who return to lend a hand against Gozer. Gozer is voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo and played physically by Emma Portner and an unrecognizable and uncredited Olivia Wilde. It's an impressive arrangement.

I should start the technicals with Egon's portrayal. Aside from stock footage, he's played by a digitally-made up double. The opening shows his face in shadow, while the finale fully shows his digital ghost. I think the end result is well done. The ghosts and demons are a strong mix of CGI (the metal eating Muncher, the mini Stay Pufts), animatronics with CGI (Gozer's Terror Dogs, Vinz Clortho and Zuul). and human actors with CGI (Gozer, who has a creepy non-corporeal form). Beyond the visuals, composer Rob Simonsen mixes Elmer Bernstein's compositions from the first film with a few bits that would've fit right in. I can go on, but I won't.

I didn't think it was possible years ago. But Ghostbusters Afterlife is a strong continuation of one of the best 80s milestones. Its reverence for the past films goes beyond "I get it" moments. It's a strong story about coming to terms with the past. Oh yes, and it's also pretty funny. The new Ghostbusters are welcome to return should a sequel be made. Of course, the end credits gives us a potential sequel hook. It's one that I do hope they follow on. It's a great start to a long Holiday season. 

Spencer

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a renowned figure is fodder for biographical adaptations. People get to tell stories of figures that may or may not want them told. One such figure is Diana, Princess of Wales, the focus of two critical duds bearing her name, one of which is a Broadway musical. Faring better is Pablo Larrain's portrait of Lady Di, which bears her maiden name of Spencer. Let's check it out.

Steven Knight's screenplay portrays "a fable from a true tragedy." It's 1991, and Diana (Kristen Stewart) is well into her royal tenure. She drives herself to Sandringham on Christmas Eve for a Royal Holiday gathering. It's anything but festive as her marriage to Charles (Jack Farthing) is cracking. Her childhood home is next door but that's not on her agenda. Her agenda is strictly regimented by Royal orders. She does find a few sympathetic servants, including her dresser Maggie (Sally Hawkins) and Major Gregory (Timothy Spall).

Diana's mental health starts cracking under the strain. She even hallucinates Anne Boleyn (Amy Manson), Henry VIII's executed third wife. Eventually, she decides to break free before she metaphorically or literally loses her head.

Editor Sebastián Sepúlveda helps us get inside her head. We see her daydream eating her pearl necklace, among other things. These moments feel (film) real until we see otherwise. I even expected a cruel twist ending when Diana takes her little Princes, William and Harry, to London, but that fortunately wasn't the case. Her imagining herself in various parts of her life at the end is a highlight reel for Jacqueline Durran's colorful costumes. The dour mood is helped by Jonny Greenwood's foreboding score and the foggy countryside filmed by Claire Mathon. 

We don't see all of Diana's royal life over 111 minutes. But we get the context over the three day plot. Her marriage to Charles is extravagantly sterile and full of pent-up resentment. Her lack of a personal life greatly frustrates her. She's at her happiest when she's with her sons or Maggie. Overall, Stewart's performance draws us in to Diana's life as much as the editing. Her Diana is a person and not a character, if you get the point.

There's a good supporting cast here. Farthing as Charles is stubbornly traditional, which makes the ending, where he acquiesces to Diana taking the boys to London, very surprising. Maggie is a sympathetic ear to Diana the Person, while Gregory is the same for Diana the Royal. Stella Gonet makes the most of her screentime as Queen Elizabeth, even indirectly supporting her royal wardrobe diversions. Finally, there's Sean Harris as the stern but fair head chef Darren McGrady.

Spencer is about a royal in turmoil. Its central performance is a strong hook into its theoretically true story. Of course the person was real, but a few events are creative license. I get the hype now that I've seen it. You might too if you see it. I'll get to another biopic real soon, but my next review is far from realistic. We'll see how it is.

The French Dispatch

 It's about time for another eccentric Wes Anderson comedy. This time, he brings us stories from The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. I'll give my thoughts on them as they come.

The titular newspaper, a pastiche of The New Yorker, ceases publication upon the death of founder and editor, Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray). After Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), the "cycling reporter," takes us on a tour of the town of Ennui-sur-Blasé, we're presented the three classic stories that make up the final issue.

The Concrete Masterpiece: J.K.L. Berensen (Tilda Swinton) chronicles Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio del Toro), an imprisoned mad artist and his muse and prison guard, Simone (Lea Seydoux). A shallow idiot named Julien Cadazio (Adrien Brody) agrees to buy his works. It's an easy partnership until Moses gets artist's block. 

Revisions to a Manifesto: Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) gets a first-hand account of Zeffirelli (Timothee Chalamet), the leader of the "chessboard revolution." Let's just say it's more than first hand. 

The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner: Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) tells us about the crazy night he had dinner with the police commissioner (Mathieu Amalric), which is derailed when the commissioner's son Gigi (Winston Ait Hellal) is snatched by crooks. He also tells us about the commissioner's chef, Lt. Nescaffier (Stephen Park), who plays a part in resolving the matter.

These segments are co-written by Anderson with Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Hugo Guinness. Their tone ranges from dry wit, to melancholy, to silliness. I preferred the third segment with its madcap caper plot and a nice coda between Wright and Nescaffier as they bond over being ex-patriots. The second segment was OK, while the first one has delightful hamming from Del Toro and Brody. The first segment also has a great gag in the form of a running bribe counter.

These segments are almost always filmed by Robert D. Yeoman in black-and-white (with color when appropriate). It's a great way to emphasize certain details like one criminal's (Saorise Ronan) eyes. The third segment includes some exciting animated chases. Whether in monochrome or fullchrome, production designer Adam Stockhausen creates a vivid world in Ennui-sur-Blase. Milena Canonero's costume designs are just as splendid as her work in The Grand Budapest Hotel. The soundtrack includes a few oldies and another good Alexandre Desplat Score.

You're bound to miss a few faces in its huge cast. I didn't recognize Schwartzman as the Dispatch's cartoonist. We also have Willem Dafoe as an imprisoned accountant, Edward Norton as one of Gigi's kidnappers, Angelica Houston as the narrator and Liev Schrieber as the talk show host who interviews Wright, to name far more than a few. They're all a memorably quirky ensemble. 

This was supposed to come out summertime, last year. The French Dispatch arrives hot off the press at a fortunate time. Anderson's quirky comedy still lives. It's somewhat too long, but it's still an engaging character piece. There's plenty of stylish gags amidst its introspective story. Get your own first-hand accounts when you see this film.

Eternals

Jack Kirby's Marvel Super Heroes have been movie stars many times over. It's time for one of his most obscure sets to make their movie debuts. The Eternals, loosely inspired by Chariots of the Gods, are visualized by Chloe Zhao as her follow-up to her Oscar wins for Nomadland. I've a few issues with this film. But this is nowhere near the dumpster fire some of its most negative critics peg it as.

Who are The Eternals? They were created by the Celestial Arishem - basically God - to fight the monstrous Deviants. Led by the motherly Ajak (Selma Hayek), their ranks include the superperfect Ikaris (Richard Madden), the illusionist Sprite (Lia McHugh), the inventor Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), the superfast Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), the fireball shooting Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), the mind-controlling Druig (Barry Keoghan), the superstrong Gilgamesh (Don Lee), the warrior Thena (Angelina Jolie) and the central character, the transmuting Sersi (Gemma Chan). Their Anti-Deviant crusade got them to inspire myths, legends and advancements in human technology. But they're not supposed to get involved unless Deviants show up. They split up just after they kill the last Deviants, right as the Aztecs fall.

Everybody got that?

Anyway, the Eternals get back together when Deviants show up again. They find Ajak dead, so there's that. They spend most of the film's 157 minutes getting back together and reminiscing about their long history. They eventually learn the awful truth of their existence. There's also a Celestial, Tiamut, awaiting to emerge; once he does, no more Earth. So the Eternals have to stop that from happening. Though not everyone's on board with it.

The screenplay feels like the longest episode of Star Trek ever. And that's not an insult. There's plenty of philosophizing as the Eternals debate their place on Earth. Druig wants to solve conflicts by mind-control, Phastos is gutted by humanity's violent advancements, Sprite hates being young forever and Ikaris's undying loyalty to Arishem causes problems. It's an intriguing philosophical discussion. There's a lot to take in between the exposition and the philosophy.

The massive ensemble makes the massive runtime worth it. We get plenty of great character moments as The Eternals get the band back together. A highlight is Karun (Harish Patel), Kingo's valet, a great comic relief and sympathetic human character amongst gods. Sersi and Sprite's stories are captivating, while Ikaris is an understandable antagonist. You might have to keep notes on a few characters' names.

It nearly kneecaps itself with Kro (Bill Skarsgaard), the Deviant leader, who feels like an after-thought. It doesn't dwell on his motivations too long and he's simply killed in battle. He's a nobody caught up in inter-God conflict. It's a pity considering there's a decent spark in his story.

Zhao's technical Marvels are more than well-suited for the job. Its strongest visual effects are The Celestials, who are nightmarishly huge and awe-inspiringly colorful. Tiamut's aborted emergence alone warrants another Oscar nomination. Cinematographer Ben Davis and Production Designer Eve Stewart visualize plenty of amazing international spots across the years. Costume Designer Sammy Sheldon provides the Eternals with a stunning wardrobe. Ramin Djwadi's thoughtful and epic score is just as great as his work on Iron Man. Plenty of choices for the Oscars here.

Eternals' massive runtime is not easy to get through. Its slow plot could've been kickstarted a bit more. But its equally huge cast gives it their all. Its esoteric philosophy is an interesting one. The technical crew fail to disappoint on any scale. Overall, perhaps a few years will give it another chance. 

It ends on quite the cliffhanger. There's no sequel planned yet, but perhaps they'll come back in Thor: Love and Thunder or Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3. Its mid-credit scene introduces a few characters, one with a surprising relation and actor. Its end-credit scene briefly introduces, as a voice, a much anticipated character waiting for his MCU debut.